Entry 261-1

Mark Menendez Adapts a New, Fuel-Efficient Fishing Strategy

Part 1: Fish More and Burn Less Gas

Question: Mark, how has 2008 been going?

Menendez: You know, even the best pitchers in the major leagues will serve up a homerun or two over the course of a season, and I’ve had a couple of bass – really good bass – that I’ve had on, and if I’d been able to boat them, I’d be much higher up in the standings. So I feel much like those pitchers must. I’m in the major leagues, I’ve won quite a few games, but I’ve hit a slump. However, I know I’ll bounce back with two more tournaments to go.

In the last tournament of the season at Old Hickory Lake outside of Nashville, Tennessee, I finished in the middle of the pack, I’m in 48th place for Angler of the Year out of 200 anglers, and I’ve got a legitimate shot to make the 2009 Classic. So when you consider that I’m in the big leagues, I’m in the top half of the big leagues, and I’ve got a chance to go to the World Series, although I’m having somewhat of a bad middle of the season, I’m still in pretty-good shape. I’ve still got a chance to go to the big dance.

Question: Mark, what have you learned on the bass-fishing circuit this year?

Menendez: I’m building on what I learned last season. I’ve learned instead of trying to fish the whole lake that I’m better off to establish an area that I want to fish and learn how to pick apart the cover and try to catch every bass in that region. With the price of gasoline going through the roof, I’ve decided to identify a highly-productive section of a lake, stay there and fish it thoroughly, rather than runnin’ and gunnin’ all over the lake trying to find bass. I’ve learned that, at least for me, I can catch more bass using this technique and spend less money on gas and more importantly spend less time running and more time fishing. This philosophy has made a big improvement in the way I fish. This year I’ve been trying to milk every place I fish for every bite I can get and every fish I can catch.

Question: So, Mark, do you think that fishermen will be better off financially and fishing-wise to pick an area of the lake they’re going to fish and fish that section intensively, rather than running from one end of a lake to the other and burning up a lot of gas?

Menendez: This strategy offers several advantages. Because you’re not burning nearly as much gas, you can afford to go fishing more often. And, because you’re using your trolling motor more and your big engine less, the energy that’s used to power the boat is coming from a rechargeable battery, rather than from high-priced gasoline. By really fishing a spot intensively, I think you learn more about how to make a bass bite, rather than just hoping you can find fish that are biting. Since bass bite actively less often than you’ll find feeding fish, if you can learn how to make non-aggressive bass aggressive by fishing a particular area thoroughly with several different lures, I think you will become a better fisherman. At least, I believe I have.

This philosophy works well throughout most of the year, except during the fall. During the fall of the year, the bass are so spread-out that you’ve got to run and gun and find those aggressive schools to be successful. However, I believe most fishermen consistently will catch more bass every time they go, if they’ll pick specific parts of the lake each trip and decide to stay there until they’ve fished them thoroughly and learned all they can. Since most fishermen fish the same lakes frequently, if they use this philosophy, they can learn the lakes they fish the most really well in a year or two.

Question: Okay, let’s say I’m going to use this philosophy on my home lake. How do I pick an area to start?

Menendez: I use a topo map and a lake map to find the closest deep water to spawning flats. Although bass only spawn once a year, bass do move up into shallow water to feed and then return to deep water throughout most of the year. Therefore, a spawning flat often is a feeding flat when the bass aren’t spawning there. In places like this, you’ll find multiple schools of bass in the same area.

Question: Mark, most people think that in the hot summer months, the bass will move deep and stay deep. So why would you look for this deep water next to the spawning flats in July?

Menendez: Anytime a major bottom break is really close to a shallow flat, the bass will feed on that flat at night during the summertime and in the early morning and late evening and often in the daytime during the fall and the winter months. Anytime the bait moves shallow, the bass will move shallow chasing them. However, bass still want to be really close to deep water, so they can pull out into that deep water after they’ve fed. Now the place to start really depends on the lake you’re fishing. Let’s look at two lakes on the Tennessee River. On Wheeler Lake in north Alabama, the spawning flats are right next to the main river channel. But on Kentucky Lake, miles and miles of flats are in 10 to 12 feet of water, so I’m searching for even more-shallow water adjacent to those 10- to 12-foot-deep flats.

Question: Okay, when you locate a region like this, what lures will you use at this time of the year?

Menendez: In July, three lures have been very productive for me – the Strike King Series 5 crankbait, the Series 6 crankbait and the Strike King Football Head Jig. Often I’ll use the Football Head Jig to find hard bottom or shell beds, and then I’ll fish that same area with the crankbaits.

Next: Crankbait Secrets I’ve Learned This Year

Contents:

• Part 1: Fish More and Burn Less Gas
• Part 2: Crankbait Secrets I’ve Learned This Year
• Part 3: Bet on the Football on the Bottom
• Part 4: Bet on the Big Worms
• Part 5: Hot Weather Spoonin’